Family Band Time

So...last weekend when we were in Utah for the Memorial Day Weekend, Matt & 2 of his brothers and a BIL (brother-in-law) put together a family band. I think the guys had quite a fun time & it was a blast listening to them! Matt played the bass, Kyle was on the drums, Jeremy was one of the guitar players & Nate was singer & guitar. There were a few "extras" too...Annie and Graham are pictured below...

A closer up of Kyle & Matt... (incidently, Matt played the bass, and cello, and serveral other instruments when we were dating, but somehow it kinda got lost in between undergrad, law school, 4 kids, moving, and life in general...so, for me, it was really fun to watch him play again!)

Here are some other "extras":

Connor with his messy face and all...gotta love the grin, though!!

Parks sure looks like he was having a blast!

And here is Lincoln, Parker and Annie...

You'll have to wait for the release of the song to hear what they played....Jeremy's working on mixing it and putting it all together! :)

Preschool at the Zoo!

Parker's preschool took a field trip to the zoo last week...all the animals were out, it was just a little bit overcast, but not too cold, and the kids had a ball! Here's some pictures from our fun morning!!

Aren't these kids cute?....there's Talon, Parker, Jackson, Tanner, Sadie & Emry! (If you look closely, you can see the head of the crane peaking up over the sign!)

The boys really liked seeing the lions!!...they're back there behind them...

We were able to spot the giraffes without any problems!...this was the first time we were able to see them outside of their enclosure (our zoo just got giraffes a few months ago)!

Parker then had to "drive" the Safari Truck!

Connor loved watching the penguins!...he looks a little lost here, but I promise, he had fun!!

And, of course, we have to take a picture on the Komodo Dragon! It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo with out it!! :)

A Girl's Night Out!

The youth (the 14-18 yr olds) in our stake & 5 others participated in a dance festival that was held last Saturday. Because I'm in Young Women's, I thought it would be great if I could go and watch them perform. Luckily, the Beehive advisor, that I work with, wanted to join me...so, we invited another friend along and we all brought our daughters. We figured since we were already going to the dance performance, we might as well enjoy dinner together too (though I forgot to take any pictures at dinner)! We all had a fantastic time! Here are the girls...aren't they cute together?

Alexa, Camrie, Abbie & Annie getting ready for the dancin' to begin!

Me, Carly & Jodie (Abbie snapped the picture for us!)

Thanks for a fun Girl's Night Out!! :)

A Little Project

I love doing little projects...especially making little things that I "need" around my house. A favorite, lately, has been magnets for our fridge...who doesn't need magnets, right? So, a couple of months ago, I made these adorable little black & white ones... (sorry for the glare)


I have loved them! They look so cute & are super handy! So, while I was at the craft store a few weeks ago, I decided to try a new kind of magnet...they had these extra large clothespins, that I just painted black, mod-podged the paper on, and then added some cute ribbon....ta da!...


Now I have both kinds on my fridge...very handy, and pretty darn cute, if I say so myself! :)

Annie is 7!

Annie's birthday was on Sunday!! We love birthdays & try to make them as special as we can!! This year, we tried to do a lot of our Easter activities on Saturday (pictures will come later from that) and celebrate Annie's birthday on Sunday. Our church starts at 9am, so we had to get going early so that she'd be able to open birthday gifts before we had to leave.

Annie got a cute outfit from Grandpa & Gramma C....she put it on after we got home from church!

Annie didn't seem to mind Parker helping her out with opening the gifts...LOL!


A new pair of shoes!!...


Posing in the dress she got from Grandma Judy & Grandpa Bill!

And...blowing out the candle....Annie requested Cinnomon Rolls instead of a cake!...

Happy Birthday, Annie-Bear! We hope you had a fabulous day & we especially hope you know how much we love you & love having you in our family!!

Parker

I haven't shared a lot about Parker...not sure why...but this post is ALL ABOUT HIM!! He is an awesome kid! He is at such a fun stage right now & really interested in A LOT of things! He asks me the most crazy questions sometimes, but I love it! I love when we are having our quiet time in the afternoon & he'll sit on my lap or just turn to me and say, "I love you, Mom!" It's the best! He's a goofy kids and loves to make both his sisters and his brother smile. Parker loves bedtime and is usually so great at getting right in his jammies, brushing his teeth & meeting us in our bedroom for family scriptures and prayers. Parker currently loves anything Transformers (that is what we did for his birthday party) and loves dogs too. Parker could easily spend everyday at the Park playing & having a picnic. He's a great big brother to Connor, too!

Today he had his 4 year check up...(where does the time go?) and he did so great....41 1/2 inches tall and 40 lbs. He had a great conversation with our pediatrician & Parks was VERY interested in all her "tools." He played with the reflex hammer, he looked into our peds mouth with the little flashlight thingy (I have no idea what it's called) and he listed to both his and hers heart with the stethoscope...maybe we have a future doctor on our hands... Parker also got 4 shots and did not cry one bit. He looked at me after the 3rd one and said "ouchie" but that was it! What a brave kid!!

Anyway, here are just a few random pictures of my favorite 4 year old!! :)

This was back in November....when we had family pictures taken....

The morning of his birthday!!...he got a new bike!

On a field trip to the pet store....he thought it was awesome! He was so interested in all of the animals.

So, there ya go! I believe I'm the luckiest mom in the world because I was blessed with such amazing kids...and Parker is no exception!!

Gotta LOVE a new haircut!!

Before (I hesitated whether to even post this picture or not....it was taken the morning before my haircut...and I look oh, SO BAD...but, I thought I should include it so you can compare):

The afters!! -- perfect cut, perfect color -- I LOVE IT!!

My sister, Elaina, gets all the credit...she did FABULOUS!!!

Jello Popcorn

The last time (yeah...I know it's been a while!) I shared a recipe, I got so many good comments & interested people, that I thought I'd share another one. I love this recipe because it's an easy treat and quick to make!! My kids love it!! And, you can make several varieties, too! So, here it is!!

Jello Popcorn

Ingredients/Supplies:

1 lg. brown paper bag (like what you would get from a grocery store)

14-16 cups air popped popcorn

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Karo syrup

1 small pkg (3 oz.) jello -- any flavor

1/4 tsp. baking soda

wax paper

Directions:

1. Pop popcorn then allow to completely cool. Put into a large brown paper bag.

2. Melt butter in the microwave (I've found using a glass -- pyrex type -- bowl works best). Add sugar, syrup, and jello to the butter and stir well.

3. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. It will be VERY hot. Stir in soda (it should foam up a little bit).

4. Pour over the popcorn, fold down top of bag & shake well. Place bag in the microwave for one minute, then shake again. Microwave 30 seconds, then shake. If you want crisp rather than gooey, microwave 20 more seconds.

5. Pour popcorn out onto wax paper in a single layer to cool.

6. Enjoy!! :)

PS...for the pictures I used lime & orange flavored jello. Cherry has also been a favorite too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think Valentine's Day is fun!!....my mom always made it special by leaving little gifts for each of us kids at the kitchen table for us to find once we woke up, when Matt & I were choosing a date for our wedding, we originally wanted to get married on Feb. 14th (we later changed it to Feb. 7th), and I like being able to do fun things with my kids now, by making sugar cookie "hearts" with them, leaving little gifts for each of them & taking the chance to tell them what I love about them.

But, this post is for Matt. He is the love of my life. We just celebrated our 11th anniversary. We had a fun date (we tried Texas Roadhouse for the first time!) and for the last 2 weeks, I've been doing "The 14 Days of Valentine's" for Matt....mostly just little gifts or notes for him to find each day, but I wanted him to know that I thought of him each day...something that I probably don't let him know enough.

On Day 10, I wrote Matt a letter with 10 reasons why I love him. Really, 10 is just the beginning. We've had a lot of good times, but we've had some really hard times too. We've moved across the country, twice. We have 4 beautiful kids together. We laugh together. We watch tv, we go to church, we go for walks, we play games, we make cookies and we work hard and play in between. Life isn't always glamorous...but it's our life. We have the same goals of being together, forever....and that's why I love him!! Happy Valentine's Day, Matt...I love you with all my heart!!

German Pancake Recipe...

...for those that were interested!! :)

German Pancakes (taken from this cookbook!)

You need:
6 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter (or margarine)

In bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour, and salt; beat until fluffy and smooth. Put 2 Tbsp. butter in each of two pie pans; melt as oven preheats. Pour half of batter in each pan. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Pancakes will puff up. Serve with warm syrup, jam or fruit. We also like it with a little bit of powdered sugar!

Enjoy!! :)